Category Archives: Transforming Central

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Central is part of the Methodist Communion within the world-wide Christian Church. We understand ourselves to be called to gather together as the body of Christ in this place which welcomes and celebrates human diversity as well as serve our wider community and congregation in ways which show the love and compassion of God. The inspiration for our worship and everything we do at Central Methodist Church is the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the origin of Christian faith and embodies a quality of humanity we seek to embrace. Jesus lived and died furthering what he described as God’s kingdom on earth: a reign of justice, compassion, healing and peace, rooted in truth and realised through the practice of love and the pursuit of wisdom.

In partnership with others we seek to find new ways of conserving and adapting our city centre church and its ancillary buildings so that we make the best use for the continuing benefit and welfare of the community of the city and its visitors. We see our building as a precious asset to be shared with the community at large and hope that those who use it may discover something of the Christian way of life.

We aspire to be a community of welcome, seeking to serve the city seven days a week, and to be a focus for helping some of the most vulnerable people in the city. Together with other like-minded organisations we are seeking to improve the quality of life, both physical and spiritual, of those who live, work and visit our city. We are in conversation with other local community bodies that, like us, are passionate about community development.

The Church exists to be a living, breathing demonstration of the beloved community; to be a place of acceptance, a place of equal opportunity, a place where diversity is celebrated and where anyone and everyone can be at home in the love of God.

Our church and halls are open next Saturday morning for coffee and biscuits. Come and explore our building, enjoy some refreshments and find out who has won the draw from our Community Survey (Draw prize is tea at Betty’s!)

It would be helpful if you can let us know you’re coming on our Facebook event:

Also the research will also help the Church to deliver mission whilst engaging the community through the project. It will also enable the Church to set clear goals for their mission and ministry and gain a credible understanding of the area in terms of needs and opportunities.

We’re very pleased to be commissioning Deacon Ian Cartwright of Imagine Projects to undertake a survey of community needs in the Guildhall Ward.

This research will:

Give local people a say in the future of their community

Avoid unnecessary duplication of provision

Deepen the Churches understanding of the local community

Ensure any potential projects will meet real needs

Create a sense of local ownership and participation

The research will also help the Church to deliver mission whilst engaging the community through the project. The project will also enable the Church to set clear goals for their mission and ministry and gain a credible understanding of the area in terms of needs and opportunities.

So far there’s been a Project inception meeting, some Desktop research and last week say the first Stakeholder focus group. To follow will be some Community engagement, Market testing focus groups, a Final debrief and then the Implementation.

The most visible part of this process will be a survey to all homes and businesses in our locality.

We’re very much looking forward to the results of this work to inform the rest of our Transforming Central project.

“Transforming Central” for the church and community

2014 saw the congregation of Central decide to reaffirm our commitment to the church, the city centre and the wider community and truly fulfil our vision as a community of welcome. We understand ourselves to be called to: gather together as the body of Christ in this place which welcomes and celebrates human diversity; serve our wider community and congregation in ways which shows the love and compassion of God.

We aim to provide a sustainable home for the church and congregation, conserving and improving the facilities for our grade II* listed site.

We have already extended a warm welcome to the homeless team of the Salvation Army whose work complements that of Carecent and hope to welcome other community groups and charities as 2015 progresses. During our discussions with others we realised that our increasingly expensive city centre lacks a single substantial site where charities and community groups can be based. With 20,000 sq ft of space we hope that over time we can play our part in offering groups a home.

Our project comprises:

Undertaking a full structural survey to ensure the conservation of the site.

Refurbishment of the rear ancillary buildings and church halls to create serviced offices and better equip our larger rooms for hire.